Who We Are

About CAGH

CAGH – Committee for the Advancement of Gressier, Haiti, was founded with the purpose of:

· Bringing the population of the diaspora closer to the community of Gressier;
· Building a rapport with all supporters of Gressier;
· Allowing the people to take an active part in the development of Gressier;
· Encouraging progress in health, education, athletics, cultural and economic development.

Gressier's Profile

Gressier is a small town with a population of about 75,000. It is located approximately 12.5miles (20 km) west of Port-au-Prince, the Capital of Haïti. With a total land area of 41.11 square miles (102.69 sq.km), it is bordered on the north by the Gulf of La Gonâve. On the east, Gressier is bordered by the town of Carrefour, on the south by the Momance River, and on the west by the town of Leôgane. It has three main rural sections: Morne à Bateau, Morne à Chandelle, and Petit Boucan.

Subdivisions of CAGH

In 1993, we developed various chapters of CAGH in the country of France, and in several cities in the United States, including Boston, Massachusetts, New York, New York, and Miami, Florida. Their aim was to contribute to the economic and social development of the community of Gressier. The purpose is to promote and widen the circle of friendship between the people of Gressier, and the support of our satellite offices in France and the United States....

Financial sources are based on the participation of the members, with a contribution of 10 Euros a month, as well as various fundraising efforts. Cultural events, a night at the theater, field trips to the sea and a holiday dinner gala are some of the activities that have been held, thanks to generous donations of our benefactors.

Despite its proximity to the sea, Gressier does not have a humid tropical climate. The average temperature in Gressier for three fourths of the year is about 86° F (30° C). The temperature drops between December and January to 81° F (27° C). As with most of the Haïtian countryside, Gressier is also mountainous. About three fifths of the total land area is above 656 ft (200 m) in elevation. The soil, is for the most part, siliceous and porous limestone.

The peasants often use these resources as building materials for their houses. Three fifths of the land is arid and the remaining two fifths is very fertile due to the many springs, streams, and rivers. Those water resources help to support the market economy of Gressier that is largely based on agriculture. The following produces represent the predominant foodstuffs of the region and Haiti: corn (maize), rice, manioc, yam, coffee, sugarcane and millet. For this reason, Gressier could easily be the garret of Port-au-Prince if its land was properly cultivated.

To strengthen its economy, Gressier can to do several things. First, Gressier could begin the fight against erosion by planting more trees and building irrigation canals. A sound environment can lead to more fertile land, which may be used for agriculture. Secondly, an increase in tourism may also strengthen Gressier's economy. This increase in tourism could be achieved by attracting people to its magnificent beaches and its beautiful landscape. Our job as CAGH is to play a large role in helping to ensure the prosperity of Gressier.

CAGH – Committee for the Advancement of Gressier, Haiti, was founded with the purpose of:

· Bringing the population of the diaspora closer to the community of Gressier;

· Building a rapport with all supporters of Gressier;

· Allowing the people to take an active part in the development of Gressier;

In a spirit of solidarity, the representation of the Gressier community residing in the United States founded an association, CAGH, in April, 1991. Since its inception, CAGH's main objective has been to contribute to the development of the town of Gressier.

Tangible Acts of CAGH

Despite limited resources, this organization has continued to make their presence known by direct involvement in numerous social and cultural improvements, with participation of volunteer medical personnel living in the United States and also residents of Gressier.

We worked to build temporary shelters for the people of Gressier before the rainy season, and planned to send envoys to bring tents and other necessary tools to help with the relief effort.

We planned to distribute the tents in the following areas:

• Schools

• Cite

• Mariani

• Collin

• Santo

• Nan Coline

• Nan Flon

• Laferone

• Bod Me

• Ti Boucan

The leaders of each area were contacted for organization of food and water distributions. Envoys were on the ground to supervise food and water distribution as well as setting up a temporary canteen to serve lunch to the people. We waited for a list of medicines needed and recommended by our team of doctors on call. There were alternate day clinics for each camp. CAGH sent local medical personnel who were volunteers to serve those camps. We looked for additional help from international volunteer health workers. As with our other health related activities, medicines were distributed to those in need of services.

A temporary orphanage was needed for shelter, therefore CAGH set up a special camp. There was therapy sessions offered to orphans, as well as children and adults affected. CAGH contacted volunteer therapists to provide post-traumatic stress disorder treatment to the community of Gressier.

CAGH rented trucks to transport food and people, as well as providing transportation for the medical team to remote locations.

CAGH set up camps to have classes for the students of the National School, which was also used as a shelter. There were miscellaneous items collected, which included medicine, food, water, tents, masks, blankets, water purification devices, clothing and shoes.

A committee of nine members has been created to oversee the earthquake relief operation, seven from CAGH and two from the donors group.

As outlined in our action plan, CAGH started to act quickly to help the injured people in Gressier, which was severely hit by the earthquake. 95% of the houses in Gressier were destroyed by the quake, and more than 2,000 people died from this catastrophic event. An envoy was sent to Haiti to bring some medical supplies to our medical team in Gressier.

Our collaborators arrived in Haiti on January 25, 2010, through the Dominican Republic. On January 28 and 29, our collaborators and the medical team set up clinics in tents and under the trees in different regions of Gressier to treat severely injured people.

CAGH sent money to the medical team to buy antibiotics and other medicines to treat the injured, and to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Our medical team held clinics in Gressier twice a week to provide urgent care and triages to the patients.